Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Big cats in the bedroom: a caracal and a serval!

Ana's daughter acquired a caracal cat in Distant Cousin: Regeneration. These little known, medium size cats can make excellent pets, provided the owners raise them from kittens to be members of a human household and follow other suggestions from experts as to their housing and so forth. Julie's Jungle is one such source of expert advice. Servals, another medium size cat, also make good pets under similar conditions.

Caracals resemble half-size mountain lions. Servals resemble half-size cheetahs--long and lean, very active and playful, with beautiful spotted coats. Ana's daughter would love one, but so far, alas, it hasn't happened.

Here, however, are a caracal and a serval playing in someone's bedroom. Any cat lover will first note how these two gorgeous animals act just like standard house cats. Early in the clip, the serval reaches for the caracal's chew toy: notice how lightning fast the serval's paw is, and how equally fast the caracal responds with a warning that "It's MY toy, thanks!" A little later the caracal hisses, which Julie says is common for the breed. They have many different hisses (and some chirps) to signify "Stay away," or "I see you," or "What is that?" or any of a variety of non-emergency situations. It's simply how they communicate.

Enjoy these stunningly beautiful creatures:



Thanks to Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory & Education Center!

See more caracal and serval photos in the right column under the photo of the blue-eyed kitty (near the bottom of that section).

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